This invention relates generally to calculators and improvements therein and more particularly to programmable calculators that may be controlled both manually from the keyboard input unit and automatically by a stored program loaded into the calculator from the keyboard input unit or an external record member.
Conventional programmable calculators generally have less capability and flexibility than is required to meet the needs of many users. For example, the typically cannot be readily expanded and adapted by the user to separately increase the amount of program and data storage memory or to perform special keyboard functions oriented toward the environment of the user. They also typically cannot perform indirectly addressed numeric data register transfers and arithmetic without utilizing available working registers for addresses rather than data. This seriously limits their ability to efficiently perform complex operations such as file manipulations or matrix arithmetic. Moreover, they typically have a very limited capability for performing direct arithmetic between working and storage memory registers and little or no capability for performing indirect arithmetic between working and storage memory registers.
In some conventional programmable calculators a program stored within the calculator can be recorded onto an external magnetic record member and can later be reloaded back into the calculator from the magnetic record member. However, data and programs stored within these calculators typically cannot be separately recorded onto an external magnetic record member and later separately reloaded back into the calculator therefrom. Moreover, those calculators have no provision for making a program secure when it is recorded onto an external magnetic record member. Any user may therefore re-record the program or obtain an indication of the individual program steps once the program is reloaded into the calculator.
Conventional programmable calculators with self-contained output printer units typically have a very limited alpha capability of only a few selected characters confined to certain columns of the printer. They are therefore typically unable to print out both a numeric and a distinct mnemonic representation of every program step of every program stored within the calculator. Furthermore, they are typically unable to print out labels for inputs to and outputs from the calculator or messages informing the user how to run programs with which he may be unfamiliar. Such features would be very helpful to the user both in editing programs and in simplifying their use.
In some conventional programmable calculators a program stored within the calculator may be edited by single stepping forward through the program while viewing an output display representing the last-encountered program step and its associated address and, in one case, also the presently-encountered program step and its associated address. However, these calculators typically cannot single step backward through the program or display the next program step to be encountered and its associated address. Moreover, they typically have no provision for inserting program steps into the program without reloading portions of the program and no provision for finding every occurrence of any designated program step. Such features would also be very helpful to the user in editing programs.
Conventional computer systems have or may be programmed to have much more capability than conventional programmable calculators. However, they are larger, more expensive, and less efficient in calculating elementary mathematical functions than conventional programmable calculators. Moreover, a skilled programmer is typically required to utilize them. Due to these factors, conventional computer systems are best suited for handling large amounts of data or making highly iterative or very complex mathematical calculations.